According to MinSalud, problems at the Hospital de Chocó will be resolved in a month

Before the end of April, the national government will solve the problems faced by the San Francisco de Asís Hospital in Quibdó (Chocó). The commitment was made on March 28 by the Deputy Minister of Health, Germán Escobar, who confirmed that the health center will receive an investment of more than 10 billion pesos.

In addition to these resources, together with the Government of Chocó, the national government intends to make a fiscal effort to obtain resources. If this action is achieved, credits of around 4.8 billion pesos could be paid.

It was pointed out that this would be possible because a structural plan is being built that envisages the installation of a technical assistance strategy. In addition, international cooperation and the private sector are expected to be supported.

While this effort is achieved, the funds pledged by the Government are expected to arrive soon. The deputy minister assures that the delay is in the time taken by the administrative processes.

It should be noted that once the resources are released, it is expected that the first thing to be done with the money is to pay the more than six months of work delayed to the staff working at the San Francisco de Asís Hospital.

The employees of the San Francisco de Asís Hospital owe seven months of work: August, September, October, November and December 2021 and January and February 2022. There are 600 people, both from the medical and administrative staff who are affected. In addition, there are effects on the payment to suppliers. The hospital's payroll liability currently stands at $27,000.

It should be recalled that the health center had been experiencing problems for more than a year, but the situation worsened after several EPS in the country were liquidated. The most recent decision, which has to do with the closure of Coomeva, caused losses to this hospital of about 2 billion pesos.

The situation of the health center is critical, but the authorities maintain that it will continue to function. The objective is to rescue the hospital and once the situation is overcome, it will be handed over to the department.

“The hospital is not closed, we must continue to strengthen it and it is an instruction from the President of the Republic so that this is resolved as soon as possible, that is why the idea is to hand it over, but we have as an urgent task since the administrative procedure is to cancel the debts through the National Superintendency of Health. The hospital will be handed over to the Government, but without debts and up to date,” said Ángel Custodio Cabrera, Minister of Labor at the end of February.

It must be remembered that in addition to this economic crisis, there are security problems. At least 30 people, including doctors, nurses, assistants and administrators of the San Francisco de Assisi Hospital, have received intimidating messages demanding money from them in exchange for not threatening their lives. Even Camilo Ramírez, who served as the health center's auditor for one year and eight months, resigned from his post for fear of being violated.

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